Tell Me a Story: Using Digital Curation in the Classroom

Concurrent Session 6

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

Students can find information online easily. However, organizing online material in a way that they could understand and explain might be challenging. One digital curation tool, Wakelet, can help. Students can pull tweets, pictures and other publicly accessible, online content into a logical sequence on a subject that would help tell a story. This session will suggest how to use Wakelet in learning activities. 

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Melony Shemberger, Murray State University

Dr. Melony Shemberger is in her fifth year as an assistant professor of journalism and mass communication at Murray State University. Shemberger has published peer-reviewed journal articles, media education book chapters, and several guidebook articles on public relations. She has presented at several academic and professional conferences. Research interests include journalism history, sunshine laws, public relations topics, and instructional design and pedagogy. In 2014, Shemberger was named a Business Journalism Professors Seminar Fellow by the Reynolds Journalism Institute. At Murray State, she was a Provost Faculty Teaching Fellow. She also served as interim director of the Faculty Development Center in 2016. She is a lifetime member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and serves on the national board of directors, leading as chair of the advisory council for the organization’s Forum magazine. She also is chapter vice president at Murray State. Shemberger has a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University, with a double major in mass communication, and history and government; master’s in mass communication from Murray State; master’s in management from Austin Peay State University; and a Doctor of Education in administration and supervision from Tennessee State University.

Extended Abstract

Information for students to find and use in their assignments, research and other class work is at their fingertips, thanks to the internet. However, organizing online material in a way that they could understand and explain might be challenging. One digital curation tool, Wakelet, can help make sense of what is shared online. Users curate the most important information and voices and turn them into stories. Students can pull tweets, pictures and other publicly accessible, online content into a story on a subject. This session will offer suggestions on how Wakelet can be used as learning activities in the classroom, for either a face-to-face or online environment.